Baerbel Mueller is a practicing architect and an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Architecture (IoA) at the University of Applied Arts Vienna, Austria. She began working on spatial and cultural contexts in the early years of her architectural education, and her projects and teaching eventually grew to encompass a wide scope of work in Africa and the Middle East. Her site-specific approach explores the integration of local knowledge and experience into design, opportunities for improvisation, different methods of problem-solving and the implementation of long-term strategic objectives. Her lab [APPLIED] FOREIGN AFFAIRS at die Angewandte deals with social and ecological challenges, planning and design in rural communities, and cultural conservation and regeneration, in which creative dialogue lies at the heart of her methodology. The recently completed stage for the Haduwa Arts and Culture Centre in Apam, Ghana, built entirely of bamboo, aims to redefine and explore the potential of the man-made environment and the development of culture.
In her new book [APPLIED] FOREIGN AFFAIRS / Investigating spatial phenomena in rural and urban Sub-Saharan Africa, Baerbel Mueller opens up a dialogue on the importance of such critical engagement. Here, she shares some insights for urbanNext.
